Once Upon a December
by DoubleEdgeSword72
Summary: The holidays can be a time of joy and togetherness... but it can also be a time to reflect on one's memories... DocRaine fatherdaughter bonding happy holidays!


Once Upon a December --The Ravens Revenge

Ok, since I recently got a flame for Up To My Hubcaps and I said no flames whatsoever, I'm gonna be more serious about this. You flame me I'll flame you! And I won't give a shit about constructive criticism because to me, that's just bull.

Disclaimer: sighs heavily Once again, I don't own the characters from Pixar's Cars. I only own my character, Raine Hudson. Happy Holidays!

Oh, and Maji… THANKS FOR THE HELP, DUDE!

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The dark, foreboding overcast sky stretched quickly across the town of Radiator Springs, the frigid air settling over the landscape like a stale breeze. Across the desert, the low, ominous rumble of thunder echoed over the sand like an oncoming wave; slow and steady through the late December evening.

Doc Hudson was quietly parked in the doorway of his clinic, his crystal blue eyes silently watching the first mist of rain hit the asphalt road in front of him. Not unheard of this time of year, actually rather expected. He suddenly turned his attention to the pair of bright headlights that hurried through town as Sheriff moved quickly down the road, attempting to beat the storm and get his fender home before he got caught out in the rain.

Doc let out a soft chuckle, gaze casting itself down the street once more. Even though it was somewhat early in the evening, everyone was already closing up shop… they knew that no one was going to come into town to their stores only days before Christmas. Ramone and Flo had retreated to their home hours ago… Sally and Lightning last he checked were going through old decorations for the Cozy Cone… Sarge… Well, he had about an hour ago heard the army Jeep yelling something about lights. That reminded him… He needed to find his own lights to put up…

"Raine?" He called out; silently driving down the halls of the clinic that led into the part of the building that was their living space. A soft glow flickered in what was a makeshift den and office, the dancing patterns of light across the wall suggesting that the Mustang had lit a fire. The cobalt Hudson paused for a moment, a slight tilt of his frame given as he heard the low strains of music floating through the halls. That was strange… He could've sworn that the radio had finally died…

A smile slowly crossed his features as he moved closer. The song was there, but no instruments could be heard. Raine was singing… It was rare but when he could catch it, he thought she sounded beautiful. He slowly came up to the door, keeping out of sight for the moment as he listened…

" _Dancing bears, painted wings_

_Things I almost remember_

_And a song, someone sings_

_Once upon a December_

_Someone holds me safe and warm_

_Horses prance through a silver storm_

_Figures dancing gracefully_

_Across my memory" _

Doc smiled a bit and gave a shake of his head. He couldn't help but love that song… He listened to her for a few more moments before silently driving into the room. Raine, as expected was taking up her time in decorating the office. A tree had been set up in one corner and her current task was putting the ornaments on its branches… Never mind the other decorating projects that she had started. On every available surface, garland and Christmas lights were piled. Doc had to wonder just how much of it she intended to use…

It didn't really matter he supposed. He chuckled quietly and moved further into the office, still unnoticed by the small Mustang. That was until he picked up the next part of the song, that slow, deep voice of his causing Raine to stop mid-sentence.

"_Far away, long ago,_

_Glowing dim as an ember_

_Things my heart_

_Used to know,_

_Things it yearns to remember…"_

At the sound of the Hudson's voice, Raine nearly dropped one of the glass ornaments that she was putting up. Her amber eyes went wide in that classic ' I've been caught ' expression and her singing instantly stopped.

"Oh, come on now. Don't make an old car sing by himself." Doc called out with a laugh as he rolled up towards the tree. Raine sighed in defeat as she scuffed her tire back and forth, a slow shake of her head given. She was always entirely convinced that she sounded absolutely horrible when she sang. Even though her voice was very nice to hear in song…

She gave a nervous little laugh and returned to her decorating, this time in silence. "Oh, come on, I'll sing with you." Doc prodded, in too good of a mood to let that one go. Raine couldn't help but smile. Doc was always in a cheerful mood this time of year.

"Doc. Really. We both know that I can't sing." She complained, the small Mustang obviously thinking very little of her own voice. Doc sighed and shook his head slowly. "Give it up, Raindrop. You and I both know that you sing just fine. You could try out for that… American Idea show, or whatever it's called."

Raine giggled, a smirk crossing her lips in response, "That's "American Idol" and Simon Cowell would tear me apart."

Doc smirked and shot his daughter a wink, "Ah, but then he would have to deal with me."

Raine giggled softly once more and returned to decorating the tree, humming softly but refusing to sing aloud. Doc only smiled and moved over to the fireplace, stoking the fire a bit until the flames were flaring up once more. He then grabbed a can of premium grade oil and quietly parked near the fire. "Take a break, Raine. The tree looks good, though it looks like your boxes might've exploded."

That drew a smile from Raine, the small, black Mustang pulling up beside Doc. "I'll clean it up before I go to bed. Decorating is fun." She offered, quietly curling up next to the warmth of her father. Doc gave a warm, fatherly smile and nuzzled her hood gently as she snuggled up against his side comfortably. The old Hornet was reminded of the times when Raine was just a little girl and how he would keep her nestled safely against him when she was sad or frightened. And whenever he was upset or under the weather, Raine was always more than happy to give him an affectionate nuzzle on the hood.

Of course, he would sometimes ponder over what had happened when they first met, and why they were instantly drawn to each other in such an unexplainable bond. He could recall the sad, fearful sparkle that once pooled in the Mustang's wolf-amber eyes, a glitter that was filled with pain and endless solitude. The pain of being forgotten… left out to slowly wither away in the frigid winter gales of abandonment. He could almost envision the sad, pitiful image from the night when he first found her, miserable, cold, and alone… she lay low on her shocks under the haunting shelter of a willow. It was a scene that had been engraved into the old Hornet's memory, of a time when he would realize that he had saved a forgotten life that was left to die in the winter of eternal solitude…He could remember those exact words that escaped her lips when he asked her why she was out in the cold.

"Shadows aren't meant to wander the world of the living…" 

That was what she had identified herself to be, nothing but an invisible shadow… one that was never meant to touch beauty… to touch another's life. Devastation was all that would ever result from such a meeting, destruction of the beautiful and untainted, of the lines that separated the pure from the flawed.

But Doc didn't see her in the same way that any other person would view her as… No, he saw something amazing behind those fearful amber orbs… He saw compassion… innocence… hidden so deeply under the Mustang's ebon exterior, but clearly visible to him like a moonlit sky. Surely this girl was a wonder…

The Hornet's blue eyes widened slightly in realization of why he had taken her in… why she would always have a special place in his heart…

She reminded him of what had happened to him about fifty years ago…when he was shoved away from existence and forgotten by society…

"They quit on me… When I finally got put together, I went back expecting a big welcome; you know what they said? 'You're history'. Moved right on to the next rookie standing in line… There was a lot left in me… I never got a chance to show 'em."

Doc was startled out of his thoughts from a gentle nudge against his fender. He looked down to see his daughter stare up at him in concern.

"There's something on your mind… isn't there?"

Doc chuckled quietly in amusement. Chrysler, that girl was such a good mind reader… He practically couldn't hide anything from her. He smiled warmly towards Raine as he nuzzled her face gently.

"I'm fine, sweetie… just… just remembering old times…" He gave a heavy sigh and forced a weak smile towards Raine. "No need to worry your little hood about me…"

Raine sighed and shook her head slightly, not really believing the old Hornet's words of reassurance. She huddled closer next to Doc, both the warmth from the fire and her father comforting to say the least. It was usually times like these that she would allow her mind to drift off, often wondering idly about things that her mind probably had no real business wondering about…

She stared blankly towards the wall near the desk and gazed at the multiple newspaper clippings that Doc had framed and hung them on the walls of his office. One of them declared him as the racing champion of all time, The Fabulous Hudson Hornet proudly written in bold lettering on his sides. Next to it, there was a clipping of him wearing the same racing colors at the Piston Cup tiebreaker race that Lightning participated in. The press had a field day with that one…

Behind his desk sat another framed article. The headline boldly written in the words: "Crash! Hudson Hornet Out For Season." Under the title, sat a photo of Doc himself after his wreck in 1954, horribly battered and barely conscious. Raine felt a painful tug at her soul when she first saw that picture…

She frowned in deep thought as she continued to stare at the old, yellowing paper that sat behind a frame of wood and glass. She did understand what Doc meant by the reason that he kept it was to remind him to never go back there again… but it had been over fifty years since that happened… long enough to say that it was necessary to forget about it and move on. Why he still kept it in his office… Raine would never know…

"Doc?" Her soft voice caused the old Hornet to open an eye, a slight tilt of his frame given. "Hmm…?"

"…What happened?"

That little question caught his attention immediately. For a moment he had no idea what she was talking about until he followed her gaze. Oh… "What happened when?" Didn't mean he could play dumb…

"…The wreck…"

So much for wishful thinking…

Doc sighed heavily for a moment, his daughter's silence for the time enough. She wouldn't let it drop. He knew that already. She would never let that one drop… "I was coming around the last turn… Someone nudged me from behind…" He muttered quietly and let a long sigh escape.

He looked down towards the little Mustang that was nestled comfortably against him, "There's something you have to understand about racing, Raine… It's not all cut clear. What some people think is cheating… its just another race at the end of the day. I was barely hit… just enough to jar me to the right. But it was at the wrong time… At just the wrong angle… I was going into a turn. It was the last lap so I was pushing it… Trying to get enough speed to ensure a victory… Then I was hit from behind. My tires slid out from under me… I winded up hitting another car that hadn't even been involved and I was in the air… That's about the last I could remember from that day. I woke up in a hospital a few weeks later."

A thin look of fury touched Raine's features as she thought on that one. Someone had hit him?

Doc caught the look and chuckled softly. "Raine… do you remember the Piston Cup? The first race where I was Lightning's crew chief?"

She nodded quietly in response.

"Do you remember when so many people were angry with Chick because he made The King crash in his last race?"

Raine gave another slow nod.

"A great racer once said… If you don't cheat you look like a fool. If you cheat and get caught you look like an idiot… And if you cheat and don't get caught… They call you a hero. Raine, there is a lot to racing… I've done my fair share of rubbing fenders. Wrecks just happen… But it wasn't that wreck in '54 that ended my career…"

Raine offered a puzzled tilt of her frame to that, "But if it wasn't the wreck… Then what?"

Doc sighed heavily, his eyes closing for a moment, "It was a lack of faith… I woke up in the hospital about two weeks after the wreck. I was a mess… Completely shattered my rear axle… It took six surgeries to get it back and straight again. I also had a difficult time with my depth perception for a while… Messed with my vision a bit. It took months of work and training just to be able to drive normally again. But at the start of the next season… I was ready. I was ready to race once again. No one thought I could do when I was training though… In the hospital the doctors told me to give it up. They told me that I would never race again… But I worked at it. And by the next season, I was ready… There was still a lot left in me."

Raine gave another nod in acknowledgement. "So what happened…?"

"My sponsors dropped me… I halfway expected that. After all, the longer I was out of the picture the longer they went without making a dime on my racing. You know that the first sponsor is the hardest to get. And no one wants to take a chance on an unproven racer… But that's nothing compared to sponsors who are willing to take a chance on a racer that went through that bad of an injury. An old friend suggested that I step down while I had the chance… Told me that I was better off not humiliating myself… And for once, I listened."

Raine scooted closer to her father and gave him a sympathetic look, "I'm so sorry, Doc…"

Doc forced a smile and quietly nuzzled his daughter's fender. "You weren't there, so there's nothing to be sorry about…"

The small Mustang quietly settled against her father for a long moment, silently pondering on what he told her. "I would've taken a chance on you, Dad…" She muttered quietly, pulling a smile to Doc's face.

"I know you would have, Raindrop… I know you would have…"

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The two cars had settled near the fire in silence for a long time… Eventually, the rain began to pour harder on the clinic's rooftops, the heavy downpour starting to come down in sheets. The distant sound of roaring thunder came over the town like a wave, bolts of lightning charging across the dark sky…

"……Doc?"

"Hmm?" Raine's voice once more startled the old Hornet from his thoughts. This time, at least the ebon car wasn't staring at another article on the wall. There seemed to be something more serious on her mind…

"…Why did you… why did you adopt me in the first place? Why me of all people? Why would anyone want me for a daughter in the first place…?"

Doc was quiet for a long moment on that question, his crystal blue eyes gazing intently on the raindrops that streaked across the windowpane. "When I first met you… I… I felt this odd pull in my soul when you looked up at me… I didn't need anyone to tell me that I needed to take care of you…I just knew." At that moment the old Hudson gave her a warm, fatherly smile. "And you know what…? That was probably the best thing that ever happened to me… to come across such a precious soul…and to be needed again. But not for my performance on the track… but to love and care for another… to make them feel wanted in life… That's why I became your father."

Doc nuzzled the little Mustang lovingly, his eyes sparkling with tears, "You're a very sweet girl, Raindrop. You have an endless amount of sympathy and kindness… and you make me proud to be your father every day…" He then kissed her hood gently. "I love you…"

Raine felt her own eyes well up with tears and nuzzled against her father affectionately, "I love you too, Daddy…"

Doc couldn't help but smile in pride at the name… It seemed to be difficult to imagine that the small Mustang who was once only as tall as the Hudson's front tire was now a beautiful, young teenager, so alive and full of wisdom and kindness. He certainly had rubbed off on her a bit… She seemed to have inherited his stubbornness and temper.

The old Hornet chuckled softly as he turned his gaze towards the clock that was hung on the wall. It was getting late. He let out a soft yawn and settled low on his tires as he nudged his daughter closer to him.

"Alright Raindrop… This old car needs his rest for tonight. You oughta be in bed yourself."

Raine smiled and nodded in agreement, already starting to feel drowsy from all the work she had been doing. Even on her breaks, she was still a workaholic. She nuzzled against Doc and sighed deeply, taking in his comforting, familiar scent as she let the warmth and the soft sound of her father's breathing lull her to sleep…

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The weather had finally cleared to bring in a cold but peaceful Christmas day. The dark storm clouds had parted and a thin layer of frost coated everything outside, making the trees sparkle under the warm sunlight like they were covered in diamonds.

Raine slowly woke up as the sunlight shot through the icy windows and illuminated the entire room. She peered at the Christmas tree sleepily before she realized that it was Christmas day already. She looked up at the Hudson Hornet who was snoozing beside her, snoring softly and mumbling something in his sleep. Raine giggled quietly in amusement before she gave her father a gentle nudge. "Doc… Doc, wake up."

Doc stirred slightly and slowly opened his eyes. He smiled warmly when he saw the little Mustang in front of him, "Hey, Raindrop…"

Raine nuzzled against his fender and let out a small sound of comfort as she curled up against him, "Merry Christmas Dad…"

The cobalt Hornet looked up at the Christmas tree that was lit up in front of them. He gave a soft yawn as he rose on his tires and gave his frame a good stretch. He then went over to the tree and nudged a small, black box towards his daughter, "Raine… I want you to have this…" He slowly opened the box to reveal a jeweled locket, with a silver exterior and a diamond snowflake in the middle. The black Mustang gasped in awe and opened it tenderly with a tire. A soothing, familiar melody played when it opened, revealing a photo of Raine with her father when she was very young. Her eyes sparkled with tears as she looked up at the old Hudson, who smiled warmly towards her.

"When I heard you sing that song last night… it reminded me of how I used to sing it to you when you were only a little girl… Keep this with you wherever you go… and you'll know that I'll always be beside you…no matter what happens."

Raine let out a sob and buried her face into his side, shuddering with each breath she took. "Thank you… thank you so much… This is the best gift ever."

Doc felt tears well up in his eyes too as he nuzzled his daughter's hood, not caring if she knew he was crying. Raine pulled back and frowned in concern when she noticed the cobalt Hornet let out a quiet sob.

"Doc…you're crying. What's wrong?" She leaned against his side comfortably, still gazing up at the tears that ran down his hood.

He looked up at the Christmas lights that were wrapped around the tree, the patterns of light shining against the wall like multicolored fireflies. "Just… just wonderin' how such a small Mustang could grow to be the beautiful young lady that you are today…Chrysler, you've grown so much…" He smiled and looked down at her. "You're growin' up too fast for me, Raindrop…"

"But I'll still be your little girl… right?"

Doc chuckled lightly and nudged Raine closer to his side, "Of course Raine… of course…"

"And a song, someone sings… Once upon a December……" 

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Whew! Finally got that one done! Just think of it as a holiday gift for all you loyal readers

out there. Happy Holidays! ;


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